Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a system and method of managing and directing a patient within a medial facility, and more particularly, to an interactive wireless device that is configured to provide bidirectional communication between a patient and a care provider.
Many individuals are nervous, and often confused, when arriving at a medical care facility, such as a hospital, for a particular procedure, check-up or the like. Upon arrival at the medical care facility, many patients may be confused as to the exact location where a particular procedure is to take place. As such, a patient may become lost and frustrated, thereby delaying the procedure and increasing the patient's anxiety. Moreover, the patient may find that he/she is lost and/or frustrated while attempting to navigate within the institution, even after he/she initially arrives.
When the patient does arrive at the proper location, the patient typically manually completes information forms. Completing these forms, including insurance forms, takes time. Once the forms are completed, an employee of the medical care facility typically inputs this information into a central database. This process, however, may be susceptible to erroneous input of information, such as if the employee misreads a portion of the form and/or inputs a typographical error. In short, entry of patient information using paper systems is error prone and requires redundant data entry.
Additionally, many patients experience emergencies and need to notify providers quickly. For example, a patient may fall down and injure him/herself while in the facility. Typically, the patient needs to contact someone, such as by calling for help, or by contacting someone through a telephone. However, the patient may not be able to find a telephone, or even gain access to one. Moreover, the patient may be too weak to effectively yell for assistance.
Sometimes, when patients arrive at a proper location for a procedure, the care providers mix up patient records. For example, a portion of one patient's paper file may be inadvertently intermingled with another patient's paper file. In such circumstances, the care provider needs additional time to sort through the confusion, thereby making the process inefficient. At worst, a care provider may provide improper diagnoses and/or prognoses based on mixed up records.
Further, a patient may need to visit multiple locations within a medical facility. For example, a patient may be initially checked by a doctor at a first location, and then need to visit a radiology lab for x-rays. In such situations, the patient may become lost when trying to find the second location. Additionally, the care provider may decide that it is best for the patient to visit another location after the patient's check-up, but after the patient has left the doctor's office. In this situation, it is difficult for the care provider to alert the patient of the change of location.
Also, many patients may not be able to read the signs within a medical care facility. For example, a patient who is not entirely fluent with a particular language may have difficulty reading the direction signs within a medical care facility if those signs are not in the patient's fluent language.